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"Kain" means tower or basement in Buddhism, referring to the burial ground for the remains of the righteous volunteers. The extended application of "god tower" depicts the ascension of those "Old Venerable" to the rank of godhood.
Closing the tower gate is the closing ritual of the Mid-summer Ghost Festival. The lonely and hungry ghosts, already enjoyed the offering for a whole month in the world of the living, should go back to the nether world, closing the tower gate to prevent them from causing harms in this world. The ritual of closing the gate is preformed by a Taoist priest dressed in bluish green robe. He would hold the Seven Star sword and after cleaning the spirits in the five directions of spare, an army of generals was summoned to expel the evil spirits. His movements were swift and agile; he it waving the double axes or fluttering with both hands. In the end, he would hold the long sword to chase away the lingering ghosts and seal the gate using "ken" of the Eight Diagrams. At this time, the priest would appear as the magnificent and powerful Thunder God. |